President Trump acknowledged that he has some blame for the Capitol riot last week during a conversation with Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy, a well-known source told Fox News.
Two sources say McCarthy R-Calif., Conveyed the president’s sentiment on a call Monday with the Republican Party Conference in the House.
McCarthy, on Monday’s call with Republicans, agreed that Trump was to blame for the unrest that led Congress to the blockade while trying to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election last week.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The riot left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.
The riot came after the president spoke at a rally last Wednesday, telling his supporters that he would “never give in”, and repeated baseless claims that the election was “stolen” from him and that he won in a “landslide. “.
During his comments, he renewed the pressure on Vice President Pence, claiming that he should cancel the certification of the presidential election results and send it “back to the states”, claiming that if he did that, Trump would be president for another four years.
Trump’s comments were made before a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the presidential election. As members of the House and Senate raised objections to certain electoral votes, both chambers called for a recess and left their chambers when pro-Trump protesters violated the Capitol building.
Later, Congress returned and certified the Electoral College vote on Thursday morning, formally giving Joe Biden the presidential victory.
White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino posted a statement from the president on Twitter Thursday morning, saying: “Although I totally disagree with the election result and the facts confirm it, there will be an orderly transition in 20 of January. “
“I always said that we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted,” said Trump. “While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it is only the beginning of our struggle to make America great again!”
On Monday, House Democrats presented an impeachment article against the president, saying he incited an “insurrection”.
Democratic MPs Ted Lieu, David Cicilline, Jamie Raskin and Jerrold Nadler presented the impeachment article, accusing the president of violating his oath.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Said on Monday that the House “will move forward with the presentation of impeachment legislation.”
“The president’s threat to America is urgent, and so will our action,” said Pelosi.
The majority leader in the House, Steny Hoyer, said later that the House would meet at 9 am on Wednesday to consider the impeachment article.
“In his conduct as President of the United States – and in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully perform the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the United States Constitution, and in violation of his constitutional duty to ensure that the laws are faithfully enforced, Donald John Trump was involved in high crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the United States government, “says the article.
The article claims that before January 6, the joint session of Congress to certify the results of the presidential election, Trump “repeatedly issued false statements stating that the results of the presidential elections were the product of widespread fraud and should not be accepted by the American people or certified by state or federal officials. “
The article states that before the January 6 joint session, the president addressed a crowd in Washington, where he “reiterated false claims that ‘we won this election and won it by an overwhelming victory’ and” made intentional statements that, in the context, encouraged – and predictably resulted in – lawless action on the Capitol. “
The article refers to Trump’s statement: “If you don’t fight like the devil, you won’t have a country anymore.”
“Thus incited by President Trump, members of the crowd he addressed, in an attempt to, among other objectives, interfere with the Joint Session’s solemn constitutional duty to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, illegally violated and vandalized the Capitol, injured and killed police officers, threatened members of Congress, the vice president and Congressional officials and was involved in other violent, deadly, destructive and seditious acts, ”states the article.
The article adds that Trump’s conduct “followed his previous efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the 2020 presidential election”, referring to his call earlier this month with Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, where he pressed him to “find” enough votes to overturn the state’s election results.
“With all of this, President Trump has put the security of the United States and its governmental institutions at risk,” states the article. “It threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power and endangered a co-equal branch of government.”
The article adds that he “has betrayed his confidence as president, to manifest damage to the people of the United States.”
“Donald John Trump therefore justifies impeachment and trial, removal from office and disqualification to occupy and enjoy any position of honor, trust or profit under the United States,” the document said.